Trip report: Tanzania
 

So here comes my first trip report on this board ;)

I've been on safari in Tanzania in november/december 2005. Some of the pictures are viewable here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97227495@N00/sets/1627852/

I spent 10 days in Arusha which was great. I was surprised by the friendlyness of all the people and I loved experiencing the 'real african life'.
In those 10 days I went several times to Kigongoni lodge (http://www.kigongoni.net/) and did a wonderfull nature walk with them and canoed on Duluti with Green Footprint Adventures(www.greenfootprint.co.tz).
This canoe trip was wonderfull and we spotted a lot of birds.
We also went one day to Arusha National Park with Green Footprint, sort of a warming up for the real deal later on ;)
I must say I like Arusha National Park very much, especially the canoeing was great on Small Momella Lake. The downside of this park to my opinion is that it feels somehow a bit like a zoo. But it was sure a great day.

We then left for our 9 day safari, again with Green Footprint Adventures.
I was with my girlfriend and her mother and brother. With the four of us we had our own guide and very nice safari vehicle, so we had a nice comfortable and luxurous safari.
First day we drove from Arusha to Tarangire.
We did some nice gamedriving there and I really loved the park, the views etc. We stayed at Tarangire Safari Lodge which has a beautifull view. We got up early the next morning to be able to see the sunrise .. one of the best moments of the safari, seeing the sun rise and the animals coming to the water ..
The next day we did a morning gamedrive and drove to Lake Manyara. There we stayed at Serena.
In Lake Manyara we did a gamedrive (spotted a leapord!) and afterwards we had a wonderfull bush diner in the park. This was truly amazing and a realy great experience. After the bush diner we did a night drive. Being the only vehicle in the park at night gives you a very special feeling. Riding there under the stars and seeing the porcupines and bush babies was unforgetable.
The next day we drove in the direction of Ngorongoro Crater. We stopped at a small town called Karatu where we stayed at the 'Plantation Lodge'. http://www.africanencounters.com/Tan...tion_lodge.htm
There we had a great relaxing time. The next day we went to the NgoroNgoro Crater.
Dispite all the wonderfull stories and experiences of others, I wasn't that impressed with the Crater. Perhaps we were just a bit unlucky that day with the animals.
After another night at the plantation lodge we went to the Ndutu area. On our way to the camp (Olakira http://www.safari.go2africa.com/acco...page~serengeti) we did some game driving and actually saw a striped Hyena!
The next day we went to Serengeti National Park. This was a really nice and lucky day;
On the Kopjes we saw two amazing lions, and we actually got to see them mate from a distance of a few meters.. I will never forget the ROARRRR of the male lion.. amazing..
right after this, we spotted a cheetah with 4 litle cubs from a near distance.
To close the day in the park we also saw two rhino's standing in the shade.
At the end of the day we headed to our last camp. This was an amazing drive (of road) of a few hours into nowhere..(well, actually it was the Gol Mountains ;) )
We had some difficulty finding the camp (no signs, no road..just massai) but at the end we did find it. This was the most amazing place I had been uptill that moment; Sayari camp is a mobile camp that moves back and forth between 2 places.
The whole area was dry and brown at the time we were there. Not many animals at that time, which was fine by me. We did some amazing walks and actually swam in a spring 3 hours from the camp. Found some nice fossiles and just experienced nature. Nothing there but masai and the quitness. This was truly the perfect ending of a perfect safari.

Thank you Green Footprint for the experience of a lifetime :)

I did so much, that I actually forgot one activitie:
At Manyara we also did a mountain biking trip down the mountain and around the village. We also did a local lunch there in someones home. Another great experience and great opportunity to experience the 'real african life'..

Just checked out the pics. The zebras under the baobab was a classic. Adorable baby cheetah. Loved the lions on the kopjes. You have a good camera to get the owl at night!

Your time in the Serengeti was extraordinary with the variety and quality of wildife you saw.

Why did you spend so many days in Arusha up front?

Welcome home and thanks for a useful report.

i stayed so long because my sister in law lives in Arusha ;)

Great pictures! I love the giraffes in Arusha park

Hi Nikao:
Thanks for filing the report and I'll say it again I think that your pictures are gorgeous. What camera equipment were you using?

Good to hear a report about Green Footprints. One of the things that seems nice about traveling with them is the extra activities you can do --the canoeing, the biking etc (I know that other companies can arrange to have their clients do activities with them as add-ons to their own safaris--it just seems that it would be easy to do them if you were with GP the whole time).

I have reported elswhere but I'll say it again, we had a good experience with them on our day trip/canoeing in Arusha NP.

Great trip, great pictures. You have two pictures of tents in the posted album, where were they? Thanks.

Great photos and report. Your sister-in-law is in Arusha? Interesting.

I've wondered what it's like to do an entire safari with Green Footprint--sounds really positive.

Hi there Nikao

Thanks for taking the time to write - I too loved Arusha and spent two days just wandering round with a friend, talking to everyone, buying a few things, having beers and coffees and stepping out onto the pitch of the football stadium. I had no bad experiences there and would advise anyone visiting to take the time out to tour round. I thought the big under cover market place was a most incredible place with the smell of the ripe fruits and veges.

You were lucky to see rhino in the serengeti and the cheetah with cubs: am I reading it right that you were only in SNP for a day? How could you tear yourself away?

Matt

Thanks for the trip report and the link to your photos. There are lots of great shots. Liked the lions on the rocks, among many others. Looks like a wonderful trip.

Thanks for your report and photos. Loved the one of the flamingos in flight. How lucky you were to see two rhinos in the Serengeti. Is the second tent photo from Sayari?

Nice to get some feedback on Green Footprint.

Hi Nikao,

Thanks for your report. It sounds like a wonderful trip. Don’t you have any photos of the striped hyena? I loved the photos of baobabs, giraffes, the baby cheetah and the rock lions.

Im adding some more pictures right now to the series http://www.flickr.com/photos/97227495@N00/sets/1627852/

The tent picture was indeed form Sayari camp. Right now there are more pictures from it in the serie..

The pictures are taken either with my Fuji finepix snapshot camera (through my binoculors) or with an analog Nikon SLR camera.
Before I go back there I'm definately getting myself a nikon D70s camera with a 80-200 F2.8 lens. ;)

Great pictures! I love the cheetah and the lions on the rock. Thanks for posting about your trip and sharing your photos.

My husband and I are planning a safari to Tanzania in September. I've been doing a lot of research on tour groups, etc. and have been working with Mary from Green Footprint Adventures. My sense is that they are reliable and experienced and we will have a great trip. Any feedback from others who have used this tour company?
PJ

Thanks for a great trip report and the really special photos! Especially appreciated since I will be there in a couple of months.